Jean Paul Gaultier wows students at Academy of Art University

Jean Paul Gaultier has a word with Academy of Art University student Melissa Calamia on March 21, 2012 (Photo by Carolyne Zinko)

Jean Paul Gaultier, here in San Francisco for Friday’s opening of a new exhibition at the de Young, “The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk,” dropped in at the Academy of Art University on Wednesday to give a brief lecture and tour the school, which opened in 1929 and whose students show at New York’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

It was nothing short of a royal visit — not British royalty, but French fashion royalty — as hundreds of students packed the auditorium at 625 Polk St. to hear him hold forth on his philosophy about design, stood to applaud him, and mobbed him on every one of the school’s five floors seeking autographs. He couldn’t even visit the restroom without being followed by hordes of admirers. (School security pushed the students back.)

“As a designer, you reflect the need of the time, the desire of the time,” he said in a 30-minute chat on stage with fashion school executive director Gladys Perint Palmer and fashion school director Simon Ungless sitting beside him. “First do it with loving, liking and passion. The important thing in life is to love, and to have passion … Have content with reality, always.”

University President Elisa Stephens gave him an honorary doctorate, prompting Gaultier to say, “You know, I never won a prize in school. I’m very happy. It’s big, big, big, big compliment.”

On a whirlwind tour of the school, he visited the knitwear department, where he admired the knitwear of MFA student Xiang Chang of Shanghai, who was “thrilled” that Gaultier singled his work out. “I never thought this would happen to me, that I would see him in person, in my entire life.”

Chang’s womenswear outfit was sheer on top and became thicker at the bottom. “I love the degrade of that, ” Gaultier said. “Beautiful, very nice.”

On the fifth floor, teacher Mikel Rosen’s design class students wore black and white striped shirts in Gaultier’s honor. He singled out the purple dye in Melissa Calamia’s hair (done by Los Gatos hair stylist Cassandra Heropoulos) for being striking. He admired a “low pocket” on a yellow women’s coat by Marisela Gonzales, who was over the moon about the attention. “Kind of exciting? It’s big-time exciting,” she said.

He saw a class learning to sketch nude models, the textile department, where students learn to dye by hand, and the sewing department, where nobody used Singer machines, but Jukias, to craft their wares.

A gray dress with volume by student designer Massayuki Ito impressed Jean Paul Gaultier on his first visit to the Academy of Art University. (Photo by Carolyne Zinko)

“I’m impressed,” Gaultier told SFUnzipped. “The school building is beautiful, it’s a longtime school, and from what I saw, very organized. The students are really sketching, learning textiles, which is very important. There is a lot of creativity. You need a unique way of designing, to survive now. It’s a very good school.”